| Aedes(Fredwardsius) | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Genus: | Aedes |
| Subgenus: | Fredwardsius Reinert, 2000 |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Aedes (Fredwardsius) is asubgenus of thegenusAedes with distribution insouthern Europe,southern Asia, andAfrica.[1] The subgenus was erected in 2000 after a comparison of specimens ofAedes vittatus with all other recognizedgenera andsubgenera in the mosquitotribe Aedini indicated that the species had sufficiently unusual and uniquemorphological and other features of subgeneric rank significance to merit stand-alone status.[1][2]Aedes vittatus was established as thetype species, and is currently (2016) the only species in the subgenus, makingFredwardsius amonotypic taxon.[1]
The subgenus was named to honor BritishentomologistFrederick Wallace Edwards, who during over 30 years of work at theBritish Museum of Natural History, now the Natural History Museum, London, published numerous articles on thesystematics of theCulicidae establishing the basicgeneric andsubgeneric framework of thefamily Culicidae.[1]
The three-letter abbreviation for the subgenus isFre.[1]
